Hope and Greenleaf
by Star-Stallion
Summary: Prequel to 'The Nilmé Series'. How Aragorn and Legolas met... with a little help from the Twins of course...


**DISCLAIMER- I don't own Aragorn. I don't own Legolas. I don't own Elrond or Thranduil either, or the Twins. I also don't own Rivendell. What do I own? Well... I think there might be some dirt under my bed... but that's about it. ^_^**

**This is the prequel to 'An Inseparable Duo', just a one-shot fic to introduce you to the Nilmé** **series. You don't need to read these two in particular order, but I'll probably have Aragorn and Legolas remember some things from this fic in that. ^_^**

**So, get your popcorn, sit back, relax, and get ready to read...**

.:Chapter 1:.

_Lord Elrond,_

_          Words cannot describe my gratitude in your offer to look after Legolas while I am away. I would not have been able to bring him with me to the ceremony, as we both know that he would just cause trouble, so bearing this in mind, remember; if he misbehaves, do not hesitate to tell me upon my return!_

_Kindest regards, _

_King Thranduil._

Elrond sighed and folded the letter back along the yellowing creases. Legolas had just arrived. True, he had disappeared again as swiftly as a young deer in the forest, barely leaving a trace he was ever there but for the blur of gold and green that had nearly bowled him over as he wandered out onto the porch and the small travel bag dumped in the middle of the garden.

It was at this moment that Elrond also noticed a disturbing lack of noise; an eerie silence cut through the air like a knife.

There was a definite lack of Twins as well, and the Elf Lord knew that that probably meant trouble... 

~*~*~*~

"And _then he snuck into the wine room and got completely drunk..."_

"'Ro!" cried Elladan indignantly.

"... And took it upon himself to ask... you wont believe this; he asked _Eärebriclya to dance with him!" howled Elrohir, tears spilling from his bright eyes as he recalled what he thought was an hilarious moment.  _

"Eärebriclya?! The 'She-Elf of Fury' as you once named her?! No!" gasped Legolas, gripping his sides with laughter. "What did she do; string him up from a nearby tree?!"

"No, worse!" exclaimed Elrohir. "She gave him what was probably the hardest slap round the face since your big brother Hallataulë was attacked by Uruvoitë after his birthday party! I bet they even heard it in Mordor!!!"

The pair held each other up as they laughed until their sides hurt. During this time Elladan's pointed ears rapidly became redder and redder, for embarrassment of the highest kind did not escape the Firstborn, unlike old age and disease.

"All right, that is enough!" grumbled the elder twin, annoyed at the apparent frivolity at his meager... 'mistake'... for that _was all it was... so he believed._

Legolas wiped the tears from his eyes. He was so glad to see his two friends again; they had not met since their hunting party from Rivendell arrived in Mirkwood seeking shelter. Even though the Twins were considerably older than him, for he was a mere 626 years of age, they still managed to lighten his heart till it could shine no more.

"So tell me," he directed to his friends. "Has anything else happened that did _not_ involve one or the other making a complete imbecile of himself?" 

The mood changed as sudden as the wind. Both Elves fell silent, though he did not know why. The young prince found that he must have scratched the surface of something a little tender.

In fact, the reason for the Twins' drop in volume sat not far from where the trio was standing...

~*~*~*~

Elrond felt 'that issue', as he found himself calling it, knowing at the back of his mind again. "Thranduil never did have that great a liking for humans," he thought. "I wonder if that is a trait that the young Prince has acquired as well?"

~*~*~*~

A young boy sat by the edge of the river, skimming stones across its glassy surface to disappear under the roaring, churning waves that dwelt under the great waterfalls.

Estel, Hope in the Common Tongue, was something special. A human raised by Elves, now that was something not every Edan could lay claim to. He had developed heightened senses as well, owing to the fact that he had to _attempt_ to keep up with his step-brothers. 

The youngster sighed hopelessly, seemingly forsaking his namesake. Truth be told, he was deathly bored.

The one thing that made him special, his mortal roots, had turned him into a sort of outcast. None of the other Elven children wanted to make friends with him, for fear of things they did not understand. They did not make fun of him, of course not, and they didn't purposefully put him down, but the fact that they stared at him as he walked the paths of the fair Elven haven, and the idea that this strange little being was completely different to them by way of how he aged, ran, played, even _sang made them slightly wary._

Oh yes, Estel was different. And he knew it. 

He picked up another flat stone and flung it towards the water...

~*~*~*~

"Forget it," said Legolas, reading the Twins expressions. "Let's play a game instead!"

Elladan looked up at him. "What game?" he asked the junior.

"How about _Nurta ar Ela_?" suggested the platinum-blonde Elf. The Twins grinned. Legolas immediately regretted it, for he knew that Elladan and Elrohir, when they wanted to, were truly the Masters of hiding.

"Very well!" beamed Elrohir. "We'll hide, and you can seek!" With that, and before the Prince of Mirkwood could utter a single word, the pair ran off into the trees surrounding them.

"This will take me _ages_," thought the poor Elf desperately. "You'd have more chance of finding a Dwarf in Father's throne."

He grumbled something incoherent, though anyone listening may have heard snatches like 'Twins' and 'Insane', and stomped off to _try and find them._

What he did find, however, was a dark haired person sitting on the banks of the river..

~*~*~*~

Estel whipped his head around, hearing a noise behind him from the trees. Looking back and seeing nothing, he blamed it on the wind and returned to his miniature quest for flat stones.

~*~*~*~

Legolas watched this puzzling activity with interest. "First of all," he asked himself. "How did a Human get into Rivendell? Secondly, why has no one noticed him, and thirdly, what on all of Middle-Earth is he doing with those stones?!"

He stepped forward and accidentally cracked a twig under his normally light and sure foot...

~*~*~*~

"That's it; I _know_ I heard something this time!" Estel told himself. He rose from his position on the floor and strode over to the trees with wide, unabashed steps.

"Who's there?" he called to the silent forest. "I know you're in there!"

~*~*~*~ 

Legolas cursed his foolishness. "Now that crazy Edan knows I'm here!" He kept his mouth shut, fearing that even a whisper would be picked up by the boy and his hiding place discovered. He could only watch and pray as the Human ventured ever closer...

~*~*~*~

Estel realized he still had some stones left in his pockets. He dipped in a chubby-fingered hand and withdrew one. "Come out or I'll throw it!"

He waited with baited breath, silent and still as an old oak tree that stood the tests of Time itself...

A bush squirmed on the edge of his vision, and he turned on his heel and launched his missile from his hand...

~*~*~*~

For all his long years after, Legolas had no idea why he'd moved at that Edan's order. But he did...

And regretted it as a flat stone connected with his temple hard and, arms flailing, he fell backwards onto the forest floor...

~*~*~*~

Estel was suddenly aware of his mistake when a golden-haired Elfling tumbled out from the mysterious bush and landed with a crash on the floor. He gasped and ran over as fast as he could.

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry!" he cried, kneeling beside the stranger. With the exception of Glorfindel, he'd never seen a blonde Elf before... but then, with Elves, you didn't know what to expect.

The Elf's eyes fluttered for a moment, and then blinked blearily. They took a moment to focus on the blurry form above him, settling on a dark-haired boy with a dirty nose and wide, apologetic eyes.

The Edan!

Legolas gave a yelp and jerked backwards from the boy. "Don't touch me!" he squealed. The boy's curious eyes suddenly turned down in sadness.

"I'm sorry," said Estel. "I just wanted to know if you were alright, I'm sorry for throwing that pebble, I thought..." He trailed off, looking at the Elf's face which housed scanning, inspecting eyes. "What?" he asked.

Legolas shook his head. "Pardon?" he mumbled, not paying attention. The Edan's expression told him he'd been staring. "Oh, sorry, it's just; I've never seen an Edan before. Ada told me they were... well, not apologetic, among other things." He looked at the boy, taking in the slightly nervous stance about him, the wide grey eyes, the stammering speech as he hurried his apologies, and the thing that surprised him most of all; the air of Elvishness that the Human possessed.

Estel wondered what on earth to do. The Elf was standing silently again, surveying him. He felt he wanted to break this tension, but how?

The only way he knew.

"My name is Estel, what's yours?" he asked hopefully, intending to seem normal and friendly to the other.

Legolas was slightly taken back. "Oh? Really?" he mumbled. "Er..." he thought, and then, deciding there was no harm in it, replied; "Legolas of Mirkwood." He bowed slightly and moved his hand in a gesture of formal welcome that he'd watched Thranduil do a thousand times over.

However, he wasn't so well practiced in the greeting, and Estel found himself giggling as he tripped mid-bow and ended up toppling over. "Nice to meet you, Legolas of Mirkwood." he said, smiling. "I'm Elladan and Elrohir's brother." he added, thinking this might help the Elf out a bit more.

Legolas straightened. "So you're the one they were so hushed up about!" he realized. "Well, no wonder! You must be the only human living here, aren't you?"

Estel bit his lip. Yes, it was true; the only human.

But that didn't mean he didn't have to have any friends.

He held out a hand to help the young Elf up. "Yes I am. And proud of it!" he smiled. Legolas looked up at him, torn between letting the boy help him, or picking himself up off the ground. His gaze immediately fell into those eyes.

They held an air of innocence about them, of loyalty and longing... longing for someone to share the jokes and the good times together. Eyes that housed trust; deep, undying trust that would not be quenched. 

He gripped the boy's hand and smiled as he was hauled off the ground. "Thank you," he said. "Maybe you'd show me back, I'm not familiar with this place and I need a bit of help."

From their hiding place in the trees, the twins Elladan and Elrohir watched with delight as their friend and brother walked off together. Their plan had worked outright. Now Estel, the future Hope of Men, would be alone in Rivendell no longer.

"Who knows?" both thought. "Maybe he'll even manage to get Legolas to settle down!"

Nilmé.

Friendship.

The foundations of one of the strangest friendships known in Middle-Earth had been set... and only Death itself could break it...

~*~*~*~

**And so it begins... and you learnt what Nilmé means! So everybody's happy! ^_^ **

**What did you think? You can tell me by leaving a lovely review! ^_^**


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